From xenixnews Aditi Sangal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented US President Donald Trump a letter from the Ukrainian first lady to Melania Trump.
“My wife, first lady of Ukraine, she gave the letter. It’s not to you – to your wife,” he said, getting chuckles in the room.
Zelensky thanks Trump for efforts to end the war
From xenixnews Christian Edwards
Sat next to Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US president for his “personal efforts” to stop Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump hails “substantial progress” in peace efforts as meeting with Zelensky begins
From xenixnews Kevin Liptak at the White House
President Donald Trump said “substantial progress” is being made in his efforts to end the war in Ukraine as he began his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We’ve had a lot of good discussions and a lot of good talks, and I think progress is being made, very substantial progress in many ways,” Trump said in the Oval Office, seated next to Zelensky.
Russia rejects “any scenarios” involving appearance of NATO troops in Ukraine
From xenixnews Nina Subkhanberdina, Caitlin Danaher and Michael Rios
Russia’s foreign ministry says it opposes any scenario that involves the deployment of NATO military troops in Ukraine.
“We reaffirm our repeatedly stated position on the categorical rejection of any scenarios involving the appearance of NATO military contingents in Ukraine, which threatens uncontrollable escalation of the conflict with unpredictable consequences,” a statement from foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Monday.
It comes a day after the United Kingdom and France said Kyiv’s allies were ready to deploy a “reassurance force” to Ukraine once fighting has ceased.
Some context: Ukraine’s main European allies have said they are ready to take an active role in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.
British defense minister John Healey said on Friday that the United Kingdom is ready to “put boots on the ground” in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Trump’s message to Ukrainians: “We love them”
From xenixnews Kevin Liptak at the White House
As President Donald Trump was welcoming Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky to the West Wing, a reporter asked what his message is to Ukrainians.
“We love them,” Trump said, before entering the building with his guest.
Zelensky appears at White House wearing formal jacket, but stops short of full suit and tie
From xenixnews Christian Edwards
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the White House on Monday wearing more formal attire than his customary military garb, but stopped short of wearing a full suit and tie.
Earlier, a European official told xenixnews that Zelensky’s choice of attire had been a topic of conversation between US and Ukrainian officials ahead of Monday’s talks at the White House. The official said the Trump administration had suggested that Zelensky should not arrive wearing his usual military attire.
Zelensky’s attire became a lightning rod during his disastrous Oval Office meeting with Trump in February. When he welcomed the Ukrainian leader to the White House, Trump sarcastically quipped, “He’s all dressed up today.”
During that meeting, a pro-Trump reporter asked Zelensky: “Why don’t you wear a suit?”
Zelensky told the reporter what he has said since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022: that he will wear his military garb until there is peace in Ukraine.
Treading a middle path between a full suit and his usual attire, Zelensky arrived at the White House on Monday wearing a black shirt and black jacket.
It appeared to be the same, more formal outfit he wore to the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican in April, and to the NATO summit in the Netherlands in June.
Previous reporting from xenixnews Kevin Liptak.
Trump welcomes Zelensky to White House
From xenixnews staff
President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House ahead of their bilateral meeting.
Ukrainian parliament member: The only way to end the war is “to force Putin”
From xenixnews Maureen Chowdhury
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin leave at the conclusion of a press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson 5 in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Donald Trump should be pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, Halyna Yanchenko, a member of Ukrainian Parliament, told xenixnews
“We believe that Putin’s demands, like trading land, are deliberately impossible, so he’s not even going to have any negotiations. He intentionally put this impossible demands to actually stop any kind of agreement,” Yanchenko said on xenixnews “Inside Politics with Dana Bash.”
Yanchenko said she believes Trump has a “very powerful” tool in his had with secondary sanctions.
“If you cut away Putin from the resources to continue this war and by implementation of secondary sanctions, you will definitely cut him out of the resources. Then, the war will be over,” she said.
She added that the the only way to end the war is “to force Putin.”
All of the European leaders have arrived for today’s White House meeting
By Kevin Liptak at the White House
French President Emmanuel Macron is greeted by US Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley upon arriving at the White House South Portico on Monday. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
The leaders are not slated to meet with President Donald Trump until 2:15 p.m. ET. They are now inside the executive residence as we await the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Most leaders have arrived as Macron makes his way to the White House
By Kevin Liptak at the White House
Six of the seven European leaders have arrived at the White House for today’s gathering. French President Emmanuel Macron is still making his way to the gathering. He landed at Dulles International Airport, outside Washington, around 11:30 a.m. ET.
Air raid sirens heard in Kyiv
From xenixnews Ben Wedeman in Kyiv
Air raid sirens have been heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as European leaders arrive at the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky says main goal is reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe
From xenixnews Daria Tarasova-Markina and Michael Rios
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the goal of Monday’s meeting with US President Donald Trump is a “reliable and lasting peace” for his country and all of Europe.
He said on X that the US, Europe and others must put pressure on Russia’s president, saying no one should expect Vladimir Putin to voluntarily abandon aggression and new attempts at conquest.
Zelensky added that he and European allies have coordinated their positions ahead of the meeting with Trump.
Last-minute summits of world leaders are rare at the White House
From xenixnews Kevin Liptak at the White House
Last-minute gatherings of top world leaders are a rarity at the White House. Most diplomats surveyed by CNN this weekend couldn’t remember another example of presidents and prime ministers ripping up their schedules to rush to Washington for emergency talks.
European officials said the decision to come to Washington reflected the urgency many leaders feel in aligning with President Donald Trump on the Russia-Ukraine conflict — but also their alarm at not being sidelined.
The leaders flew to Washington separately but coordinated their approach before meeting Trump.
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